A future classic

Michael D Greene's “Sasquatch for Sale” is a budding classic in the genre of Bigfoot-related books. The author, a seasoned Bigfooter himself (not to mention rattlesnake-killer), doesn't spare any punches. He exposes many of his colleagues as cheats, frauds or kooks.

Matt Moneymaker of the BFRO, also known from “Finding Bigfoot”, is depicted in a particularly unfavorable light. So is Melba Ketchum, the geneticist who claimed to have proven that Bigfoot exists and that the creature's DNA is 80% human, 20% “angel”. The BFRO itself is criticized, although a certain love-hate relationship shines through (Greene is a former member). By contrast, Greene has a soft spot for Justin Smeja, the man who claimed to have shot and killed two sasquatches under very unlikely circumstances. While Greene doesn't entirely buy his story, his attitude is far from hostile. The author reveals that a multi-millionaire named Wally Herson has bankrolled many Bigfoot hunters, including a couple of people who later turned out to be hoaxers. “Sasquatch for Sale” also contains gossip about Animal Planet's popular reality show “Finding Bigfoot” and its cast. Greene thanks Bobo, Ranae and Cliff for their aid in researching the book, which suggests that his information comes straight from the horse's mouth.

You would think that Greene is a skeptic, but actually he is one of the true believers in the physical existence of a flesh-and-blood hairy hominid stalking the U.S. wilderness. He made the first thermal recording of what may be a Bigfoot, the so-called Squeaky Thermal. Yet, not even Greene's enthusiastic reports about his expeditions can hide the fact that there is *something* very strange about the entire phenomenon. Greene points out that the BFRO data base probably only contain a small number of all Bigfoot sightings, yet these sightings come from all across the Union (with the exception of Hawaii). This would make Bigfoot a very common animal, an animal seen almost every other day. Yet, nobody has been able to catch one for centuries! Hmmm…

Personally, I think that “Bigfoot” is really a composite phenomenon, a bit like UFOs. While some unknown tree-hugging hominid could theoretically be hiding out in the hills of some Pacific state, most reports are probably a ragtag of hoaxes, misidentifications, hallucinations or, dare I say it, some kind of paranormal phenomenon. Pennsylvania UFO-Bigfoot flap, anyone?

That being said, I think “Sasquatch for Sale” is a “must” read for everyone interested in Bigfootdom, pro or con, alongside “Sasquatch” by Jeff Meldrum, “The Locals” by Thom Powell and “Abominable Science” by skeptics Loxton and Prothero. Even that accursed reality show “Finding Bigfoot” is interesting, due to its featured eyewitness reports of whatever it is that's lurking in the shadows…